Abstract

As A. B. Lloyd points out, the passage from Herodotus which includes this sentence is the most important non-Egyptian commentary on Ancient Egyptian shipbuilding. In the years following the discovery of the Dynasty IV ships buried beside Khufu's pyramid at Giza, J. S. Morrison suggested a change in the translation of the word επκτωσαν. Traditionally, and in Lloyd's commentary, the verb μπακτω has been interpreted as meaning ‘to caulk’. Morrison, however, believes that επκτωσαν ought to refer to reinforcement of a ship's fastenings with papyrus ropes. He bases this interpretation on the evidence of the Khufu boats, which are sewn through v-shaped mortises across the hull's width, and on the argument that caulking is better done from the outside. Lloyd has challenged this translation, but we would like to support it with some further evidence, in particular evidence of Egyptian shipbuilding practice.